A La Porte County sheriff’s deputy who was shot inside a hospital emergency room was listed in critical but stable condition following surgery, authorities said Saturday.
Deputy Jon Samuelson was injured on Friday morning at Franciscan Health Michigan City by a man he had transported to the hospital seeking medical attention. The deputy first encountered the individual near Westville, believing he may have been a stranded motorist.
Shortly before an altercation during which the suspect opened fire, police said the deputy learned the driver “may have been involved in an earlier criminal incident.”
Samuelson was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, where he underwent approximately eight hours of surgery, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Saturday morning.
Sheriff’s officials said medical staff remain “optimistic regarding his recovery,” noting Samuelson remains in critical but stable condition in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
“Thank you to the surgeons and the entire medical staff at Memorial Hospital for the exceptional care being provided to Deputy Samuelson,” Sheriff Ron Heeg said in the post, in part. “Please continue to pray for Jon, his family and friends, and the entire law enforcement community.”
An Indiana deputy was shot at a hospital after helping a man he thought was a stranded motorist, police say.
Samuelson is a 12-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and serves as a K-9 handler for the department. He comes from a lineage deeply rooted in law enforcement; Samuelson’s father is a retired Michigan City police officer, and his grandfather served as police chief for the city of La Porte.
Following the shooting, the suspect fled from the hospital and ran into a nearby wooded area, where he was apprehended by law enforcement.
Police identified him as Sharod Grafton Jr., 22, of Chicago. Grafton was transported to the La Porte County Jail and later transferred to the Porter County Jail, where he was awaiting formal charges on Saturday.
